Peculiar incident at a car dealer
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else? In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks - they'll sell you any pup for twice its worth, offer any guarantee which will on investigation prove to be worthless and try to pressure you into a deal you do not want.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying
At this point your friend should have told all three of them to f£$% off. There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
-
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else? In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks - they'll sell you any pup for twice its worth, offer any guarantee which will on investigation prove to be worthless and try to pressure you into a deal you do not want.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying
At this point your friend should have told all three of them to f£$% off. There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
martin_hughes wrote:
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else?
These guys are authorized Honda and Hyundai dealers, and used-cars is just a side for them. I think they do the used-cars to sell off their trade-ins from new car sales.
martin_hughes wrote:
In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks
I have read this before, but yesterday's incident was live confirmation of whatever I've ever heard said about car dealers.
martin_hughes wrote:
There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
Yeah, we didn't have a car or year in mind - that was the mistake. I don't think we'll ever do this again in the near future, but next time I'll have a list of models/year with their expected prices.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else? In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks - they'll sell you any pup for twice its worth, offer any guarantee which will on investigation prove to be worthless and try to pressure you into a deal you do not want.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying
At this point your friend should have told all three of them to f£$% off. There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
martin_hughes wrote:
: do your research before going into a dealership
And if you don't have time or a good memory to remember a lot of products and their prices, take a mobile that is able to connect to internet, google the exact product, many times first answer is a reasonable price. If not then ebay, amazon, etc.
// "In the end it's a little boy expressing himself." Yanni while (I_am_alive)
{
cout<<"I love to do more than just programming.";
} -
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else? In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks - they'll sell you any pup for twice its worth, offer any guarantee which will on investigation prove to be worthless and try to pressure you into a deal you do not want.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying
At this point your friend should have told all three of them to f£$% off. There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
martin_hughes wrote:
do your research before going into a dealership
That is exactly what I did the other day buying our new car. Walked into the dealership armed with prices I researched and the Kelley Blue Book price of the dealer invoice price for the car. I flat out told them what I was willing to pay ( told them about $150 less than my target payment ), when they were about $200 over my target payment, I started to leave and the salesman's finance guy started freaking out and wanted to really work the deal out. He ended up selling me the car for about $50/month less than what I was willing to pay, and plus I got a deal for $2.99/gallon gas card from Jeep good until 2011 (southern California is still pretty much in the $4.50/gallon neighborhood). Both of these guys took the bait and I walked out with a really good deal. ;P to those sales jerks :rolleyes:
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
These are all the tricks which dealers play. It is very common trick played on inexperienced car buyers. Actually, there is an official name for the 3rd guy: "Pusher" or something like that.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
What beats me is why the 3rd guy ruined a potential sale
In sales of used cars the margins can potentially be very high and the whole purpose is to wear the customers down. If the customers appear gullible which may very well have been the case with you and your friend, then the salesman try to to extract as much money as they could. Sometimes some people end up paying more than the price of a new car. The best place to buy a used car from a dealer is carmax. Though they are not saints either. Though I don't recommend buying from dealers as one has to pay salestax in that case.
This has been discussed, again and again and again and always we (the denizens of the CP lounge) have come to the conclusion that their method of rating is pure, untouched, unadulterated, genuine, verifiable, refined trash. MIM on TIOBE
-
These are all the tricks which dealers play. It is very common trick played on inexperienced car buyers. Actually, there is an official name for the 3rd guy: "Pusher" or something like that.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
What beats me is why the 3rd guy ruined a potential sale
In sales of used cars the margins can potentially be very high and the whole purpose is to wear the customers down. If the customers appear gullible which may very well have been the case with you and your friend, then the salesman try to to extract as much money as they could. Sometimes some people end up paying more than the price of a new car. The best place to buy a used car from a dealer is carmax. Though they are not saints either. Though I don't recommend buying from dealers as one has to pay salestax in that case.
This has been discussed, again and again and again and always we (the denizens of the CP lounge) have come to the conclusion that their method of rating is pure, untouched, unadulterated, genuine, verifiable, refined trash. MIM on TIOBE
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
an official name for the 3rd guy: "Pusher"
I think that is so. My wife works for a dealership in their service department and most of the sales people are really pushy anyways. Even some people she works with are real snakes. She had a customer come in the other day, whose car did not need an oil change, and the guy pushed the customer into doing an oil change. The car's computer said there was still 70% left of the oil life. That would be like someone saying, "Your 320gb is 30% full, you HAVE to upgrade to a 750gb hard drive RIGHT NOW!!!!"
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
martin_hughes wrote:
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else?
These guys are authorized Honda and Hyundai dealers, and used-cars is just a side for them. I think they do the used-cars to sell off their trade-ins from new car sales.
martin_hughes wrote:
In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks
I have read this before, but yesterday's incident was live confirmation of whatever I've ever heard said about car dealers.
martin_hughes wrote:
There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
Yeah, we didn't have a car or year in mind - that was the mistake. I don't think we'll ever do this again in the near future, but next time I'll have a list of models/year with their expected prices.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkNishant Sivakumar wrote:
These guys are authorized Honda and Hyundai dealers
I would raise an issue with the franchising office for Honda and or Hyundai. Anything to give the salesman a pain in the groin.
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
It's the art of the sale. The trick is to get you (or your friend in this case) to sell the salesperson on the deal. If you go back and review each step in this process you'll see that that was what each succesive salesperson was trying to accomplish. If by the 3rd guy your friend didn't 'flip', then he was not going to buy that car and was only window shopping.
“If we are all in agreement on the decision - then I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”-Alfred P. Sloan
-
Trollslayer wrote:
Testosterone.
Who? My friend? I thought he reacted rather gently the way they talked to him. He's a nice laid-back guy who never really gets angry at anybody.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkI think she is referring to the crazy nutters in the car dealership. I've found it quite difficult to buy a car from someone what I actually liked. The last car I bought I travelled 200 miles to a dealership because I couldn't find any local dealerships that would sell me the car at the price that I wanted.
Recent blog posts: * Introduction to LINQ to XML (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (part 3) My website | Blog
-
I think she is referring to the crazy nutters in the car dealership. I've found it quite difficult to buy a car from someone what I actually liked. The last car I bought I travelled 200 miles to a dealership because I couldn't find any local dealerships that would sell me the car at the price that I wanted.
Recent blog posts: * Introduction to LINQ to XML (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (part 3) My website | Blog
Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
I travelled 200 miles
There is a dealer named Dave Smith in Kellogg, Idaho and people drive from all over the U.S. to buy his cars. It's funny, you can't ever seem to find a good car near where you live, but if you drive anything over 100 miles the options seem to get better.
"Pigs don't know pigs stink."
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
Sales tactics, just like anything else. The problem is that if you're buying a new car you have all the facts on your side. You're basically shopping price and dealers don't have the same type of hold on you. Used cars, however, are more of an impulse buy. On a new car you can just go to the next dealer and order what you want, not on a used one. They also know that the probability of you coming back is almost nil if you walk out the door. The one thing I've learned is to prepare for that bs. When they walk out of the room, they're giving you time to convince yourself and aren't talking to finance or the manager or getting approval on a "great deal". If you're with someone, don't talk out loud because they could be listening. They'll do the good cop/bad cop routine trying to gain trust. Some are just better at it.
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
-
Good read. My aunt tried giving it a try as a saleswoman at Toyota and from what I heard from her, I can totally agree with the article.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
-
Trollslayer wrote:
Testosterone.
Who? My friend? I thought he reacted rather gently the way they talked to him. He's a nice laid-back guy who never really gets angry at anybody.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
martin_hughes wrote:
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else?
These guys are authorized Honda and Hyundai dealers, and used-cars is just a side for them. I think they do the used-cars to sell off their trade-ins from new car sales.
martin_hughes wrote:
In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks
I have read this before, but yesterday's incident was live confirmation of whatever I've ever heard said about car dealers.
martin_hughes wrote:
There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
Yeah, we didn't have a car or year in mind - that was the mistake. I don't think we'll ever do this again in the near future, but next time I'll have a list of models/year with their expected prices.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
martin_hughes wrote:
You went to a used car dealer and were expecting something else?
These guys are authorized Honda and Hyundai dealers, and used-cars is just a side for them. I think they do the used-cars to sell off their trade-ins from new car sales.
martin_hughes wrote:
In my experience car dealers, in general, are just short of being complete crooks
I have read this before, but yesterday's incident was live confirmation of whatever I've ever heard said about car dealers.
martin_hughes wrote:
There is a lesson here, however: do your research before going into a dealership - it's the only protection you have against these snakes - and do not buckle under the pressure of their sales "strategies".
Yeah, we didn't have a car or year in mind - that was the mistake. I don't think we'll ever do this again in the near future, but next time I'll have a list of models/year with their expected prices.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkNishant Sivakumar wrote:
Yeah, we didn't have a car or year in mind - that was the mistake. I don't think we'll ever do this again in the near future, but next time I'll have a list of models/year with their expected prices.
One thing I've done is visit the dealership on Sunday when they're closed. Then you can browse around to see what they have to sell without being bothered. When you find something you like, go home and do some research, then go back when they're open prepared.
-
Long read but insightful and worth the time. Thanks.
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
Some day, I'll write an article on the tricks that car salesmen (and other salesmen) use with customers. My first professional programming gig was with a rather large car chain here in the UK. I was lucky!?!?!?! enough to get an insight into the tricks that salesmen play. Here are a couple as a teaser: 1. How much are you prepared to pay weekly? Most people will take a monthly figure and divide by 4, forgetting that there are more than 4 weeks in a month. 2. When a salesman goes to "see the manager to get a deal for you" he's not really doing that. He's only trying to appear to be nice to you so that you'll think he's your friend when he comes back with a derisory offer. Remember - when buying a car; the salesman is not your friend - he's trying to gouge out as much money from you as possible. He doesn't care if you're left homeless - he just wants nice trims on his Ferrari.
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
-
A friend and I went to an authorized Hyundai used-car dealer yesterday as he's looking to buy a car. He was interested in an Elantra (2004) and he asked for the price. The salesman said it was 12,000. My friend (who's new to the country) said he was looking for something cheaper (around 8K or so). Then this guy went in, got the keys and insisted that we drive the car. He said if we did that he will see if he can drop the price. So we took a 5 minute test drive, and while the car ran okay, there were some odd noises throughout the ride. Then the guy took us inside and after a few minutes of going inside came back with a weird price (9457 or 9387 or some such hard to remember number). He said he would give that price if my friend purchased it right then. My friend replied that the price was still high and even if it wasn't he wasn't going to commit to anything right then. He said he'd need 4-5 days to think about it. So I asked them to give him a price that'd be valid for the entire week. Then another guy (the first guy's manager) came in and both of them again tried to push my friend to buying it right away. They said if he agreed to that, they'd further reduce the price - but would tell the price only if he agreed to buy it right away (how they expected him to commit to an as-yet unknown price is beyond me). The 2nd guy said this was a trade-in and they never tried to make money off trade-ins and so this is a great bargain etc. After my friend (who was quite uncomfortable by now as was I) insisted he can't buy it right then, they said we could buy it then, drive it home, and if we didn't like it then my friend can return it after 2 days. Obviously this sounded very odd - I didn't even think they meant what they said. Then a 3rd guy (probably the 2nd guy's manager came in). I had a phone call I had to take so I had to get up and move slightly away but I could still see/hear was what going on. This guy started insisting (a little rudely I thought) that this is a great deal and he should buy it right that day. He said the car wouldn't be there the next day as it was such a good car and such a great price. In fact, he also used some Hindi sentences seeing that my friend and I were Indian (the 3rd guy looked like he was from India or Pakistan). Sadly my friend could barely understand Hindi (I don't understand it either) so we don't really know what he said. At that point the 3rd guy got more rude and said my friend was lying - that he didn't plan to buy the car and that's why he asked for 5 days. My friend a
The test drive bit is a common underhanded thing they do at car dealerships. They ask to see a valid drivers license for the test drive, note down the info or keep the license until you come back and while you're gone they do a credit check using the drivers license info so they know exactly how much you can afford to spend then bargain accordingly. In other words the game is rigged in their favor the moment they get your drivers license.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot
-
Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
I travelled 200 miles
There is a dealer named Dave Smith in Kellogg, Idaho and people drive from all over the U.S. to buy his cars. It's funny, you can't ever seem to find a good car near where you live, but if you drive anything over 100 miles the options seem to get better.
"Pigs don't know pigs stink."